Mr Zahawi had been praised for helping to roll out the coronavirus vaccine programme which ended punishing lockdown restrictions and his political stock was rising fast. Following on from his successful time in business, Mr Zahawi stood down from YouGov to run for Parliament, winning the safe Conservative seat of Stratford-on-Avon. Under intense pressure, Mr Zahawi said it was a “careless and not deliberate” error linked to YouGov founder shares given to his father. Mr Zahawi said he welcomed a chance to give his account to Sir Laurie, insisting he was “confident” and had “acted properly throughout”. But Mr Sunak also said Mr Zahawi “should be extremely proud” of his “wide-ranging achievements in Government over the last five years”.

Source: The Times January 29, 2023 17:46 UTC